Waco History Podcast

Over 100 years ago, my great grandfather, Roy E. Lane made his mark on Waco by designing the ALICO Building, Hippodrome, and other well-known landmarks. With the help of my co-host, Dr. Stephen Sloan of Baylor’s Institute for Oral History, I’m learning about Waco’s known and unknown past. I’m Randy Lane, and this is the Waco History Podcast.

On this episode:
Dr. Kenna Lang Archer, author of "Unruly Waters: A Social and Environmental History of the Brazos River," joins us to talk about Waco's most prominent river. We talk about its history all over the state, and the many attempts to tame it.
Check out Dr. Archer's website at kennalangarcher.com.
You can find Kenna's book on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.
Special thanks to ACT Music for letting us play "Brazos River Breakdown" at the end of this episode. It's by the Nils Landgren Funk Unit from the album ACT 9455-2 License to Funk.
About the Waco History Podcast
The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts.
Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history.
Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past.
Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.
Follow us on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wacohistorypodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wacohistorypodcast
Support the show here: https://anchor.fm/waco-history-podcast/support

Dr. Robert Elder, Assistant Professor of History at Baylor University, joins us about life in Texas leading into the Civil War. We also talk about Sam Houston’s fight to keep Texas in the Union.
Dr. Elder specializes in the American South, especially religion, slavery, and intellectual history. His research focuses on the cultural, intellectual, and religious history of the American South in the 19th century.
Learn more about Dr. Elder on his Baylor faculty page.
About the podcast:
The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts.
Stephen heads the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history.
Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past. Learn more at wacohistorypodcast.com

On today’s episode, Stephen goes on Downtown Depot with Austin Meek.
On our last podcast we did a collaboration with a couple of other Waco podcasters: Garrett Simmons of the Wacoans Podcast and Austin Meek of Downtown Depot. Well, Austin recently had Stephen on his show. They talk about how the Wacoan History Podcast got started, the Waco History App, and, because it just won Best Picture at the Oscars, Green Book locations around Waco.
If you aren’t already subscribed, I highly recommend finding Downtown Depot in your podcatcher of choice. Or listen to the show on the first and third Fridays of the month at 11:30 AM on 103.3 KWBU. And now, here’s Austin and Stephen.
Follow Waco Business News on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About the Waco History Podcast
The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts.
Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history.
Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past.
Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.
Follow us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wacohistorypodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wacohistorypodcast
Support the show here: https://anchor.fm/waco-history-podcast/support

Support the show here: https://anchor.fm/waco-history-podcast/support
East Waco is a side of Waco that many locals don't know much about. With recent development in the area, we thought it was a good time to put together a Waco podcasting "dream team" to learn more about where this part of town has been and where it's going. Randy and Stephen welcome local podcasters Austin Meek and Garrett Simmons into the studio to discuss the past, present, and future of East Waco. Austin hosts Downtown Depot, a podcast and radio show produced in Waco. Garrett and his wife host The Wacoans Podcast, and show about people, news, and events in Waco.
Immediately following the round-table discussion, listen to interviews with people who live in and work in the East Waco. First is Carla Dotson, Owner and Operator of Boardwalk on Elm, a favorite food truck in East Waco. And lastly, we talk with Doreen Ravenscroft about the Doris Miller Memorial that stands on the East banks of the Brazos.
More about Downtown Depot: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/494243086/downtown-depot
More about The Wacoans Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/TheWacoansPodcast
About the Waco History Podcast:
Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan host the Waco History Podcast. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts.
Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history.
Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past.
Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.
Follow us on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wacohistorypodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wacohistorypodcast
Support the show here: https://anchor.fm/waco-history-podcast/support

In this episode
Millions of years before anyone lived here, nature conditioned Waco as a major crossroads. Dr. Joe Yelderman of Baylor's Department of Geosciences tells us how geology and natural history played a role in shaping Waco.
Learn more about the mammoths here.
About the podcast
The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts.
Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history.
Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past.
Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.
Follow us on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wacohistorypodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wacohistorypodcast
Support the show here: https://anchor.fm/waco-history-podcast/support

Before Elvis was Elvis, Radio DJ Eddie Fadal befriended the entertainer. Elvis was stationed at Fort Hood in the late 50s. He traveled up to Waco almost every weekend to spend time with Fadal and his family. Eddie's daughter Janice talks to us about growing up with Elvis. We talk about where he went, what he did, his favorite foods and more!
Interested in where The King spent his nights in Waco? Stay there when you visit! The Elvis House is listed on AirBnB, so support our guest and stay where Elvis stayed. More info at https://www.theelvishouse.com. Book via AirBnB here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20571659
Learn more about the Waco History Podcast at wacohistorypodcast.com. Learn more about Waco's history at wacohistory.org.
Like the show? Support us here: https://anchor.fm/waco-history-podcast/support

On this episode: Haunted Waco, Part 2. On episode 5, Brad Turner laid the groundwork by telling us some of Waco’s most well-known supernatural stories. On this episode, Paranormal Investigator Cindy Little tells us about searching for ghosts in Waco.

A 1926 football game between Baylor and Texas A&M went from rowdy, to riot, to murder. Author T.G. Webb spent years putting together a book on the dispute. He gives us background on how it happened, and talks about potential suspects.
Get the book at tgwebb.com
Learn more at wacohistorypodcast.com/battle-of-the-brazos

Randy and Stephen sit down with Amy Balderach to talk about "The Reservation." During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Waco was the 2nd city in the United States to have a legal red-light district. From wacohistory,org:Though not uncommon to late nineteenth-and early twentieth-century cities, red-light districts were regarded as areas of ill repute where madams and prostitutes worked outside the law. Yet in 1889, Waco—a city lauded for its multitude of educational institutions and churches—became only the second city in the United States to legalize such an area. This district, known as the Reservation, or sometimes as Two-Street, brought in thousands of dollars of revenue to the city while serving as a source of controversy for many years.Learn more by reading the full entry here.The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts. Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history. Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past. Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.

Local Waco Folklore Expert Brad Turner joins Stephen and Randy to talk about Waco's most popular supernatural stories.Brad Turner is a professor at McLennan Community College. He's also the author of several books including, "Lust, Violence, Religion: Life in Historic Waco." It's available here: http://bit.ly/turnerwacobook.About the podcast:The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts. Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history. Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past. Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.

On this episode: Waco during World War I, told by the people who lived through it. Stephen brings his co-worker, Steven Sielaff, Senior Editor and Collection Manager for Baylor's Institute for Oral History, to guide us through how the war changed Waco.Check out Waco History articles on World War I:Camp MacArthur: http://www.wacohistory.org/items/show/48Rich Field Army Air Base: http://www.wacohistory.org/items/show/187About the Podcast:The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts. Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history. Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past. Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.

Randy and Stephen are joined by Dr. Mike Parrish to talk about Waco's Hometown Hero: Doris Miller. Miller is best known for his heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Dr. Parrish co-authored the book "Doris Miller, Pearl Harbor, and the Birth of the Civil Rights Movement" and shares what he's found about Miller in this episode.For the city of Waco, he's an icon to bravery. Efforts started in 2015 to build a memorial to Miller in Waco near the Brazos River. Find out more here: dorismillermemorial.org.Find out more about Doris Miller on his wacohistory.org page here: https://wacohistory.org/items/show/98The Waco History Podcast is co-hosted by Randy Lane and Dr. Stephen Sloan. Randy Lane is the great-grandson of Waco architect Roy E. Lane. He’s also a former American Forces Network Radio DJ and is currently the host of the High Performance Leadership and Charity Champions Podcasts. Stephen heads the Oral History Institute at Baylor University. He’s authored several books and created and developed WacoHistory.org, a website and free mobile app for learning more about Waco’s history. Together they’re telling the known and unknown stories of Waco’s past. Find out more at wacohistorypodcast.com.coHistory.org page here: https://wacohistory.org/items/show/98Find Mike's book here: http://a.co/d/a5o0gB9

On the first episode of the Waco History Podcast, hosts Randy Lane, great-grandson of notable Waco architect Roy E. Lane, and Dr. Stephen Sloan of Baylor University's Oral History Institute, introduce themselves and talk about the reasons for starting the podcast. Stephen helps fact check one of Randy's family rumors. He also tells listeners some of the most important historic locations.